Turkish-style red lentil soup with carrot and tomato paste, finished with paprika butter and lemon. Lentil microgreens on top add a fresh, crisp contrast.
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g - red lentils (1 cup)
- 1 - yellow onion (100 g)
- 1 - carrot (100 g)
- 1 tbsp - olive oil
- 2 tbsp - tomato paste
- 1.2 l - vegetable or chicken broth (5 cups)
- salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 30 g - butter (2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp - sweet paprika
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 - lemon
- 20 g - lentil microgreens
STEPS
- Rinse the lentils in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Finely chop the onion and grate the carrot. Cook them in the olive oil in a pot over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until soft.
- Add the tomato paste and cumin and cook for 1 minute more, stirring.
- Add the lentils and broth, bring to a boil, and simmer covered over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils fall apart. Season with salt.
- Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If it's too thick, add boiling water.
- Melt the butter over low heat, take it off the stove, and stir in the paprika and pepper flakes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the red butter, top with the lentil microgreens, and serve with a lemon wedge.
Lentil Microgreens in Lentil Soup
Turkish red lentil soup, mercimek, comes together in half an hour from lentils, onion, carrot, and tomato paste. Red lentils cook down completely, and after the blender the soup is thick and velvety. It’s finished with paprika butter and served with lemon.
Lentil microgreens are the same plant at a different age. They’re crisp and juicy with a sweet, nutty flavor close to fresh green peas. Thick, hot soup lacks only freshness, and a handful of microgreens on top brings it.
About the Ingredients
Lentil microgreens: 20 g for four bowls. Pea microgreens work as a swap.
Lentils: red or pink only. They’re hulled and fall apart in 20 minutes. Green and brown lentils hold their shape and won’t make a smooth soup.
Tomato paste adds color and a little tang. Cook it with the vegetables to take off the raw edge.
Broth: vegetable or chicken. Water works too; you’ll need more salt.
Technique: Paprika Butter
Melt the butter over low heat, take it off the stove, and stir in sweet paprika and a pinch of red pepper flakes. The butter turns bright red. Over high heat paprika scorches in seconds and turns bitter, so don’t cook it. Spoon it over the soup when serving, about a spoonful per bowl.
Variations
- With potato: add one potato with the carrot for an even thicker soup.
- With coconut milk: 200 ml in place of some of the broth, plus a pinch of curry powder.
- Vegan: olive oil instead of butter.
- With mint: 1 tsp dried mint in the red butter, the way it’s done in Turkey.
Serving and Storage
Serve with a lemon wedge and warm flatbread. The soup keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days and thickens as it sits. Thin it with water or broth when you reheat it. Add the microgreens in the bowl. How long an open container of microgreens lasts is in our wiki: microgreen shelf life.
Another fall cream soup: pumpkin cream soup with amaranth microgreens.
CHEF'S TIPS
Lentils stick to the bottom until they break down. Stir every 5 minutes.
The lemon in the bowl matters: without acid the soup tastes flat.
